Food Grade Essential Oils — What Does That Mean?

By Caryn Gehlmann

There’s a lot of information circulating on the web on the use of food grade essential oils—I’m sure you’ve noticed it. Sadly, a great deal of it is misinformation. Sites are recommending internal use of essential oils with applications that are both unnecessary and unsafe.

Here’s an example of how ingesting essential oils is not only unnecessary, but potentially unsafe.

Adding lemon essential oil to a glass of water is frequently promoted as detoxifying or a way to cleanse the liver. The reasoning is that it’s safer than lemon juice, which, with long-term use, can erode tooth enamel or irritate the stomach because of the citric acid it contains. It sounds reasonable, but what many don’t realize is that lemon essential oil doesn’t contain citric acid. and it’s the citric acid that’s the principal “cleansing” ingredient! Another problem with drinking essential oils in water is that it often creates gastric irritation. Many also don’t understand that drops of undiluted essential oils in water makes proper absorption a challenge. (Here’s a link to additional research on this topic: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/fstr/20/1/20_167/_pdf.)

So the bottom line is if you’re interested in the health benefits of ingesting lemon, you’re better off with a citrus juice, which has the volatile components already naturally dissolved. Drop a lemon wedge in your water or drink some freshly squeezed orange juice for a healthy dose of vitamin C!

So what does the term “food grade essential oils” really mean?
First, it’s important that we understand what the term does not mean. There are no standards set by any system or governing body, which evaluates an essential oil and then places it in any category i.e. “food grade,” “therapeutic grade,” or any other grade for that matter. Particular brand of oils are not tested as safe for everyday food use, and essential oils are not regulated by any governing body or organization.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays no part in analyzing the safe use of essential oils. The only thing the FDA does is maintain an extensive list that is called ‘Generally Recognized as Safe,’ or GRAS. This means that the items listed, which include many essential oils, are deemed safe for human consumption for their intended use. However, it does not share what these intended uses are, so you can’t ingest everything on that list without encountering some serious safety concerns. Some can be downright toxic when ingested! So, what are you to do?

What is e3’s stand on internal use of essential oils?
It is our recommendation that essential oils NOT be used internally (via ingestion or suppository), unless under the supervision of a MD, with a degree in integrative medicine, who has also studied Aromatherapy and knows how to safely advise on internal use of essential oils specific to the individual and his/her symptoms. It’s not something to be taken lightly. Regretfully, there was an incident in our community of a “lay person” treating a client with oral (in a capsule) ingestion of an essential oil blend; as a result of this treatment the client ended up in a hospital with a burned esophagus. So be careful!

A qualified MD should do a full patient intake, taking into consideration, age, health status, prescriptions/supplement use, and lifestyle choices before prescribing a protocol for internal essential oil use. If you’re working with a doctor who recommends ingesting an essential oil under their supervision, know that e3’s essential oils have been tested for purity and quality and are safe for internal use in that regard.

Some essential oils can be used safely in toothpaste, mouthwash, gargle, cooking etc. But once again, there are many factor to take into account such as the dilution ratio, choice of essential oil, and age and health status of the intended use. It’s also important to understand the reason internal use is being considered rather than inhalation and/or topical application. These other methods are much less risky!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils – like where they come from, how they’re made and how to make your own special blends – please feel free to download our free ebook, Listen to Your Nose – An Introduction to Aromatherapy. And if you have a specific question we’re here to help! Please contact us with your question and one of our trained clinical aromatherapists will get back to you.